Artists Roles/Artists Rules II

Artists Roles/Artists Rules II – China/Sweden Art Exchange Project (Station Kunming)

Initiators: Madeleine Aleman, Luo Fei
Curator: Luo Fei
Executive Curator: Wang Bei
Chinese Artists: Lei Yan, Luo Fei, Zi Bai, Xue Tao
Swedish Artists: Rikard Fåhraeus, Madeleine Aleman, Jannike Brantås, Ylva Landoff Lindberg

Opening: 20:00, Sep 9th, 2017
Performances on the opening by: Jannike Brantås and Madeleine Aleman
Exhibition Duration: 11:00-21:00, Sep 9th to Oct 8th, 2017, Sundays Closed

Host by: TCG Nordica
In cooperate with Studio 44 (Stockholm), City College of Kunming University of Science and Technology

Artist Talk:
Artists: Luo Fei, Madeleine Aleman, Rikard Fåhraeus, Jannike Brantås
Time: 7pm, Sep 7th, 2017
Location: Lecture Hall, City College of Kunming University of Science and Technology

About Artists Roles/Artists Rules
Artists Roles / Artists Rules is an exhibition on the artist’s mission, responsibility, duty and position in society- sometimes enforced, sometimes self-imposed. Each artist has worked individually from a personal standpoint on an individual basis as well as with the vision of how things ideally could be.
The origins of the project is the desire to explore and discuss the differences as well as the similarities in working conditions for artists in China and Sweden.
We have a desire to, through this exchange, as artists achieve greater awareness of each others lives and our respective communities.
The only common language for the participants in this project have been the imagery. The language barrier made written communication sparse and poor. Initially, we have communicated through short videos on a chat forum, a channel open and possible in a Chinese – Swedish communication. It has given us the opportunity to learn from each others. These videos have then been merged into a joint work on show in the gallery.
The exhibition features the collaborative video as well as individual video works, installations, collages, photographic works, drawings and documentation of performances.
The project part one has been hold at Studio 44 in Stockholm last Aug and Sep, now ready to present the project part two at TCG Nordica, the 9th of Sep, 8pm, welcome!

opening performance “am I a refugee?” by Luo Fei, Studio 44, Stockholm, 2016 (photo by Anna-Britta Sandberg)

“艺术家的角色与规则(二)”——中国-瑞典当代艺术交流展

项目发起人:罗菲、玛德琳·阿雷曼
策展人:罗菲
策展执行:王蓓
中国艺术家:雷燕、罗菲、薛滔、资佰
瑞典艺术家:瑞卡德·法利伍(Rikard Fåhraeus)、玛德琳·阿雷曼(Madeleine Aleman)、杰妮卡·布朗塔斯(Jannike Brantås)、于尔娃·林德伯格(Ylva Landoff Lindberg)

开幕式:2017年9月9日,周六晚8点
开幕式行为表演:杰妮卡·布朗塔斯、玛德琳·阿雷曼
展览时间:2017年9月9日——2017年10月8日,周一至周六11:00——21:00,周日闭馆
地址:昆明市西山区西坝路101号,创库艺术社区TCG诺地卡文化中心

主办:TCG诺地卡文化中心
合作机构:Studio 44(瑞典斯德哥尔摩)、昆明理工大学城市学院

学术讲座《艺术家的角色与规则》
时间:2017年9月7日晚7点至9点
地点:昆明理工大学城市学院报告厅
主持人:罗菲
主讲:玛德琳·阿雷曼、瑞卡德·法利伍、杰妮卡·布朗塔斯

关于 艺术家的角色与规则
每位艺术家的独立创作都是基于个人底线与立场,也是对理想世界的想象。“艺术家的角色与规则”是一个关于艺术家的使命、责任和社会姿态的展览,这些定位有时是被动的,有时则是自我设定的。
项目的初衷是中国和瑞典的艺术家们渴望通过探索和讨论不同条件下的艺术家的差异性和相似性。
我们有一种渴望,通过此次交流项目,作为艺术家能获得对他人以及各自社群更广阔的认识。
语言障碍使得书面交流十分稀缺,在这个项目中参与者之间唯一的共同语言是图像。最初,我们通过在微信群里发布短视频来交流,这对中国和瑞典艺术家来说都是一种开放的可能性。通过这种交流我们也彼此认识互相学习。这些视频目前已经被合并成了一件集体作品在画廊展出。
“艺术家的角色与规则”展览将包括一件集体录像作品以及艺术家个人的录像、装置、拼贴、摄影、绘画以及行为艺术文献等作品。
该项目已于2016年8月在瑞典斯德哥尔摩Studio44画廊正式启动,今年9月9日该项目的中国部分将在昆明TCG诺地卡文化中心进行,八位艺术家将带来不同形式的艺术文化交流活动。9月7日晚7点艺术家们将在昆明理工大学城市学院进行学术交流讲座。欢迎大家踊跃参加!

了解更多:https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/BpkO2uuPK5qObbZE97dIQg

“在云上”行为艺术现场(澄江)

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“在云上”行为艺术现场

2015年4月29日下午两点,六辆越野车载着26位艺术家、批评家、媒体人从昆明108智库空间出发,驱车前往澄江抚仙湖立昌村,展开两天的行为艺术活动。以下为表演现场的作品回顾。

xuetao

薛滔行为作品《潜水者》
时间:2015年4月29日,17:00~17:15
地点:抚仙湖
阐述:上半身潜入水中,下半身留在岸上,保持水平。

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Paper小组(沙玉蓉+杨辉+王蓓+黄越君)以及其他艺术家行为作品《漂亮 好看》
时间:2015年4月29日晚上
地点:澄江抚仙湖
阐述:四人任意不断重复漂亮•好看•美•不漂亮•不好看•不美。直至五人统一词汇。

4月30日上午在立昌村小广场,农贸市场旁,这里是pingchang跳广场舞的地方。

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和丽斌行为作品《丈量》
时间:2015年4月30日,9:00~9:30
地点:抚仙湖立昌村广场
阐述:以自己站立的位置为基点,手握竹竿丈量自己视线360度内的所有风景、房屋和人的位置和比例。

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caiqing

蔡青行为作品《澄江抚仙湖立昌村献礼- 野牛的诗》
阐述:美丽寂静的村庄让我想起诗人野牛一首诗的意境,歌颂大自然的美丽寂静和生活在此间人们的单纯朴实。我将此诗在此呈现寄托对当地自然和人们的美好祝愿!我从湖中取水,用本地找到的扫帚沾水从湖边写大字走向村庄,穿过早上的集市,通过农家的门前,一直沿着村里的一条主街倒行书写,直到写完整首诗,而一桶水也快用尽。水字只停留短时就消迹在阳光之下。我随后把诗稿复印送给乡亲们。

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林善文行为作品《China,青花瓷》
时间:2015年4月30日,9:30–12:00
地点:澄江县立昌村抚仙湖岸
阐述:清理30米湖岸线,将湖边沙石滩上的碎玻璃、瓷片、废旧电池和塑料垃圾、铁片等捡走,直至可以放心光着脚丫在上边来回走动。这是一个关于环保主题的作品,有一定的中国国情的针对性,所以在作品的最后将这些捡上来的垃圾拼写了“China”,这些易碎的物品在光照下有一种难言的美感。

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罗菲行为作品《即兴节奏》
时间:2015年4月30日早上
地点:云南抚仙湖立昌村
阐述:将一颗白菜抱在怀里,仰望升起的太阳,将白菜一叶一叶剥下来覆盖在脸上,直到什么也看不见,缓慢行走在湖边悬崖的平台边缘。
走到湖边,用菜叶汲水,给自己洗礼。
将一只南瓜叼在嘴里,站在湖边遥望远方。吃一口朝天椒,把辣椒含在嘴里,继续叼着南瓜,遥望远方。

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九坑小组行为作品《天人合一》
时间:4月30日上午
地点:澄江抚仙湖畔
人员:吴若木、陈龙、杨雄盛
阐述:将自己身体实实在在的与自然合体,把自己绑在树上、石头上、沙滩上、水中,用物质的身体来体验天人合一。

yanghui

杨辉行为作品《宣言》
时间:2015年5月3日上午
地点:澄江抚仙湖立昌村
阐述:对着房子进行宣言,说出我宣布后有手势,发出鸟语,重复三次行为结束。

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和丽斌行为作品《刻舟求“箭”》
时间:2015年4月30日,10:00〜17:30
地点:澄江抚仙湖
阐述:手握一竹竿静坐于水中,每隔一段时间在竹竿上划线记录水流的变化,水流提示着时间的流逝,身体为舟,时间似箭,以身体之舟探求时间之箭。

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黄越君、王蓓行为作品《长—1》
地点:澄江抚仙湖
时间:2015年4月30日上午
阐述:一人身上捆上红绳在水里行走,另一人在后面将红绳拾起系在手指上,直至红绳系满十根手指后方的人靠近前方的人无法继续前进为止。

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Paper小组(沙玉蓉+杨辉+王蓓+黄越君)行为作品《一条长线》
时间:2015年4月30日上午
地点:澄江抚仙湖
阐述:四人排成一条长线行走于路中间,使行人与车分别从路的两边绕开,直至走到水里,拍打水瓶三下,行为结束。

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Paper小组(沙玉蓉+杨辉+王蓓+黄越君)行为作品《水花》
时间:2015年4月30日,13:00~13:20
地点:澄江抚仙湖
阐述:杨辉站在抚仙湖边的木台上,由别的成员扔石头到水里水花溅到杨辉身上至衣服全湿行为结束。

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张大勇行为作品《即兴•以水为仪式》
时间 :2015年4月30日下午2点
地点:澄江县抚仙湖立昌村
材料:当地供销社购买3两黄钱,胶水1瓶
阐述:贴满纸钱的身体如一辆贴满罚单的汽车,行走于乡间直至水中,是祭奠,为即将像滇池一样,因违章死去的湖泊的祭奠。是清洗,以水的名义去清洗腰缠万贯的身体,当一张张纸钱脱离,身体逃离漂满黄纸的圈顿感欢愉、自由。抓一根深入到水底的绳索体会湖畔的重量,脚被划破了,到岸上才慢慢开始渗血……
和艺术家薛滔共同清理湖面漂浮物。

renqian

任前行为作品《行吟者》
时间:2015年4月30日午后。
地点:澄江抚仙湖畔
实施过程:我手提一竹篮,里面装有大米。我从村口走向田野,采花、撒米、低声吟唱。再撒花、撒米、吟唱。走向湖边……艺术家在自然与田野、湖泊间自由行走,吟唱,采摘,祭礼,接受心灵的洗礼。

wangjun

信王军行为作品《彩云》
时间:2015年4月30日,14:00~15:00
地点:澄江立昌村抚仙湖湖岸
阐述:一个通过彩色烟雾呈现不确定的一个偶然形态,这个形态随着风向、地域、环境的介入变化而变化着……

qingshui

清水惠美行为作品《百家姓》
时间: 2015年4月30日下午
地点: 澄江抚仙湖畔立昌村
阐述:艺术家带杯子(里面有湖水),在湖边的每家门口写个姓。走到湖边慢慢地喝光杯子里的湖水。

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任前持续行为作品《从这儿到那儿——为取水所作的计划》
时间: 2015年4月30日傍晚
地点: 澄江抚仙湖
阐述:我通过这十五年来在世界各地旅行,水域取水样的持续行为(伦敦泰晤士河、西藏纳木错湖、越南下龙海湾、湄公河水域、中国长江九渡口水域、嘉陵江水域翡翠湖、云南大理洱海、香港维多利亚港湾、澳门愚人码头、重庆磁器口嘉陵江水域、泰国曼谷安葩洼水上市场、昆明滇池、澄江抚仙湖),艺术家试图从艺术、历史、政治、经济、文化、自然、宗教等角度来关注人类的生存发展状况及人文、环境、生态等的关怀。

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和丽斌行为作品《种水》
时间:2015年4月30日,18:00〜19:00
地点:澄江抚仙湖
作品阐述:
“水之中
光斑闪耀
时光轮回
安眠
在水一方”
把自己的愿望写在纸上,融化在水瓶里,再播种在湖中。

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周斌行为作品《一捧石子》
时间:2015年4月30日,16:00~20:30
地点:澄江抚仙湖
阐述:在湖边掬起一捧石子,之后坐在湖中一渔民作业台上,一手捧石子,一手逐一捏起石子举在空中,臂力不支时石子落于水中。从下午4点到晚上8点半。行为过程中,作者努力放空身心,将意念集中于石子落水那一刻轻微的叮咚声。

延伸阅读:

云中旅 “在云上”行为艺术现场——幻游与偶发

“在云上”是艺术家、策展人和丽斌2009年起策划发起的系列艺术活动,邀请艺术家、诗人、批评家、媒体人在自然、都市等不同的环境中旅行与交流,并即兴创作图片、影像、观念、声音、装置、行为、诗歌等作品,在情景交融的过程中实现艺术体验、交流、创作、展示相融合的艺术之旅。

2009年6月的“在云上”第一回邀请了来自北京、深圳、昆明的12位艺术家、媒体人在昆明〜大理〜丽江的旅途中沿途创作图片、影像、装置、行为艺术作品,体验自由偶发的精神冒险之旅。

2009年9月的“在云上”第二回是云南艺术家从昆明出发,经西安、北京,展开与当地艺术家、自然、历史、人文的行为对话,在最后一站北京宋庄尚堡美术馆完整呈现艺术旅行的结果。

2015年的“在云上”行为艺术现场,以“幻游与偶发”为主题,邀请日本、德国、中国北京、成都、重庆、昆明的21位行为艺术家参与,期待他们在云南的自然山川、城市生活、艺术空间的游走中体验到云南独特的气息与魅力,并通过他们精彩的行为艺术表演为昆明这座城市带来惊艳的夏季。

主办:同景108智库空间 云南中旅国际旅游有限公司 顺城购物中心 车房宝 云南素点文化传播有限公司

出品人:韩晓强
策展人:和丽斌
执行策展人:沙玉蓉
展览统筹:周梦楠 邱爽
艺术评论:管郁达 杜曦云(北京) 林汉坚(香港) 薛滔 林善文
音乐人:张大勇
媒体人:赵睿
摄影:鲁啸天 老仙
摄像: 董林 杨青
剪辑:黄越君 沙玉蓉
艺术家:清水惠美(日本) 蔡青(德国)信王军(北京) 周斌(成都) 任前(重庆)罗菲(昆明) 和丽斌(昆明) Paper(昆明,沙玉蓉+黄越君+王蓓+刘凯+杨辉)九坑小组(昆明,董雪莹+陳龍+杨雄盛+蒋明辉+吴若木+张紫韵+桑田+叶其霖)阿里巴巴他哥(昆明, 野狗芳芳+村长•冲浪吧)

非常日常•贰——薛滔2014年个展

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非常日常•贰
——薛滔2014年个展

策展人:罗菲
主办:TCG诺地卡画廊
开幕酒会时间:2014年7月11日晚8点
展览时间:2014年7月11日至8月30日
地点:昆明市西坝路101号,创库艺术社区,TCG诺地卡画廊
电话:0871-64114692
网址:www.tcgnordica.com
www.xuetaoart.cn

有关薛滔2014年个展“非常日常•贰”:

2001年创库的成立带来了云南首次集中的艺术家群体实验,其中群展“体检”(2002)、“羊来了”(2002)和“影子”(2003)将本土70后艺术家的整体面貌向公众充分展现。随后他们以群体方式出现在上海、北京等地,云南新生代的艺术力量得到迅猛发展。薛滔作为这时期成长起来的实验艺术家、活动策划人,产生了非常重要的推动作用。

薛滔1975年生于云南大理,1994年在大理创办云南首个现代艺术群体“红心社”,2005年在北京创建“候鸟天空”艺术空间,积极推动云南艺术家与各地的联络。2012年他从北京回到昆明,积极推介本地新兴艺术家,为年轻艺术家撰写文章。作为活动组织人、策划人、联络人,他为云南本地艺术家做出了极大的贡献。

薛滔的学艺经历在70后艺术家中具有代表性,他从传统学院艺术起步,学习色彩与造型,采用现代主义理念与方法进行创作,之后进入全球化情境中的当代艺术,用个人化语言表达全球化语境中的艺术关切。薛滔自2000年以来始终采用报纸创作装置作品,其作品具有明确简练的形式和厚重感,为普通的报纸赋予十分特别的陌生效果。薛滔在三个层面展开了形式实验:有关时间的形式,有关能量的形式以及有关语言的形式。

薛滔曾代表中国艺术家受邀参加2007年至2008年在欧洲巡展的“中国电站”艺术展,该展览集中呈现了中国艺术家的新生代力量,获得广泛影响。薛滔也于2008年参加欧洲极负盛誉的法国圣•艾蒂安设计双年展。

薛滔于2007年在上海、北京举办首次个展《非常日常》,时隔七年,他将首次在家乡云南展示他的报纸类装置作品个展《非常日常•贰》,并在曾经举办过“体检”和“羊来了”等云南实验艺术的重要阵地TCG诺地卡画廊举办。这次展览将集中呈现薛滔自2007年以来的14件代表作,这将是云南首个装置艺术的个展,由此见证他在艺术创作上的持续探索。

展览将于2014年7月11日晚上8点在TCG诺地卡画廊开幕,我们诚邀您拔冗参加,欣赏一场装置艺术的盛宴!

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《薛滔的形式实验》

《薛滔访谈:当代艺术在云南》

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Extraordinary Daily: Xue Tao Solo Exhibition 2014

Curator: Luo Fei
Host by TCG Nordica Gallery
Opening: 8pm, July 11, 2014
Exhibition Duration: July 11 – Aug 30, 2014
Address: TCG Nordica, Chuangku, Xibalu 101, Kunming, China

The launch of the Loft in 2001 started putting the collective experimentation of Yunnan’s artists on stage for the first time. Among them were the group exhibitions like “Experience” (2002), “Sheep is coming” (2002) and “Shadow” (2003) that showcased to the public the overall outlook of Yunnan’s post-70s local artists. Later on, they made their presence known collectively in Shanghai, Beijing, and other cities. A new generation of Yunnanese artistic forces had witnessed a dynamic development. Xue Tao, being one of the experimental artists and event planners from this period of time, has had a very important role in promoting this development.

Xue was born in 1975 in Dali, Yunnan. He founded Yunnan’s first modern art community – the Red Heart Commune in Dali and later on the Migratory Sky Art Space in Beijing in 2005. He has always been actively promoting interaction between Yunnan’s artists and those from other places. He moved from Beijing back to Kunming in 2012 and devoted his efforts to introduce local emerging artistic talents, and to write articles for the young artists. As an event organizer, planner, and contact person, he has made great contributions to Yunnan’s local artist community.

Xue’s artistic journey was typical among the post-70s artists. He began with the traditional academic arts, picked up the languages of colors and models along the way, and started to make art with modernist ideas and methods. After entering into the contemporary art in the context of globalization, he employs personal language to express his artistic concerns in such a scenario. Xue has been creating installation works with newspapers since 2000. With clean and concise forms and their unique heaviness, his works add to the ordinary newspapers a special effect of unfamiliarity. Xue approaches the form experimentation at three levels, namely the forms concerning time, energy and language.

On behalf of the Chinese artists, Xue was invited to participate in the European Tour of the “Chinese Power Plant” Art Exhibition in 2007 to 2008. This Exhibition highlighted the power of China’s younger generation artists, and it was highly acclaimed. Xue also attended one of Europe’s most prestigious art events – Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne 2008 in France.

Xue held his first solo exhibition – “Extraordinary Daily” in Shanghai, Beijing in 2007. Seven years later, he is to present his newspaper installation solo exhibition “Extraordinary Daily II” in his hometown – Yunnan. The location is exactly where Yunnan’s experimental art projects such as “Experiences” and “Sheep is Coming” were held – TCG Nordica. This Exhibition will focus on 14 representative works of Xue’s since 2007. It’s going to be his first installation art exhibition in Yunnan, testifying the ceaseless exploration in his artistic creation.

The Exhibition will be opened at 8 P.M. on July 11, 2014 at TCG Nordica. We would like to cordially invite you to join us for a feast of installation art!

Related Post: Xue Tao Interview: Contemporary Art in Yunnan

薛滔的形式实验

薛滔作品《同胞》,2011年

薛滔作品《同胞》,2011年

薛滔的形式实验

文/罗菲

2000年后,实验艺术在云南的发展有两个重要节点,一个是2001年创库艺术社区在西坝路101号的成立,该社区由艺术家和艺术机构自发组织成立,成为中国最早的艺术社区之一。作为昆明的艺术文化中心,它极大促进了本地艺术家们的群体实验,本地艺术家与国际艺术家的协作以及艺术界与公众的交流。另一个是2005年至2006年的“江湖”系列艺术活动,该项目聚集了各地实验艺术家,以极其活跃的方式在各类场所开展艺术现场,融入大量民间娱乐和游戏精神,发展出极具市井气息和庆祝美学的先锋派样式。这两个节点都见证着本土艺术家们在实验精神上的自觉推进,为中国当代艺术的发生、发展提供了独特的考察价值。

创库初期是云南艺术家群体实验的首次集中爆发期,其中群展“体检”(2002)、“羊来了”(2002)和“影子”(2003)将本土70后艺术家的整体面貌向公众充分展现。随后他们以群体方式出现在上海、北京等地,云南新生代的艺术力量由此得到迅猛发展。薛滔作为这时期成长起来的实验艺术家、活动组织人,产生了非常重要的推动作用。

薛滔1975年生于云南大理,1994年在大理创办“红心社”艺术家群体,2005年在北京创建“候鸟天空”艺术空间,推动云南艺术家与各地的联络。2012年他从北京回到昆明,积极投入到推介本地新兴艺术家的工作中,为他们策划展览,撰写文章。作为活动组织人、策划人、联络人,他为云南艺术家所作的贡献已广为所知。

这里要来讨论下身为实验艺术家的薛滔。作为艺术家,他自2000年以来始终采用报纸创作装置作品,其作品具有简练明朗的形式和厚重感,为报纸赋予了特别的陌生效果,我想这是艺术家在形式方面努力的结果。因此从形式实验的角度看,薛滔至少在三个层面展开了探索:有关时间的形式,有关能量的形式以及有关语言的形式。

首先看有关时间的形式。报纸作为发布信息,传播思想的媒体在全面进入数字时代的今天已日渐式微。在今天,信息发布与传播变得越来越自由,信息流的发生越加密集,以致难以留下可触摸可嗅到的信息本身:油墨里的文字与图像。报纸作为传统工业社会的三大媒介之一(另外两样是电视和广播),它是唯一使得信息可直观存留于时空中的媒介,这个社会所发生、宣传和思考的一切如确凿证据登记在报。薛滔的创作,正是对这些信息的证据进行重新塑造,将报纸拧成绳状,再根据不同的结构搭建、堆积成不同的物体,如“椅子”、“挂毯”、“核”、“柱”、“帐篷”、“鼎”等。这些物体并不具备实用性,并且随着时间的推移,它们会变得越加脆弱、泛黄、褪色甚至受到损毁。这些作品的物理生命及其刊登的信息将渐渐衰老,这是薛滔作品的时间性特质,是一种有关时间的形式实验。在这种形式面前,观众会产生一种有关“过去”的意识,有关“旧”的意识,有关“消亡”的意识。在数字时代,信息从不老去,也不会被损毁,只会下沉,所以才需要人们不断点赞。在薛滔的实验中,时间的形式在报纸这样有限的媒介上被充分证实其存在,以此唤起观众对物质世界“永远不变”的期盼。

薛滔通过长时间繁重密集的手工劳作,把报纸拧成捆,用铁丝铁架搭建框架,再将拧好的报纸牢牢包裹在结构上面。这种方式克服了观念艺术中那种简单挪用的智力游戏,他秉承了艺术这一古老行业中对双手的颂赞传统。这是艺术家区别于哲学家、科学家等其他角色的根本性体现:用双手制造形式及其意义。这在多位云南实验艺术家身上都有所体现,如和丽斌、张华、孙国娟、雷燕、苏亚碧等,他们注重双手对材料的塑造和双手留下的情感痕迹。薛滔双手对废旧报纸的处理方式也为平凡物赋予了一种恒定的能量,他对报纸的拧与捏,以至他的情感、意志都被双手塑造于作品的体感之中,这即是人们常说的有体温的作品,也是薛滔作品打动人的地方,犹如表现主义绘画留下的笔触。我认为这也是薛滔作品最独特也最有难度的地方:如何始终保留双手的能量在作品上?使那些本来就会变形脆弱的报纸不会因时间而减弱,这比绘画更难,因为绘画作为能量的痕迹已经在那里,而薛滔的装置是要想办法留住最初的那种能量。它有时更像雕塑,给人一种恒定的存在感。我认为他主要是通过对单件作品的结构处理以及空间展示方式上的处理,来唤起视觉上恒定的能量感。犹如极简主义大师封塔纳(Lucio Fontana)在画布上切割的那一刀,半个多世纪过去,仿佛作者刚刚撒手离去,画布始终饱满地绽放在那里。因此,如何用双手为平凡废旧物赋予一种恒定的能量,这是薛滔对能量的形式实验。

薛滔的学艺经历在70后艺术家中也具有代表性,他从传统学院艺术起步,学习色彩与造型,然后用现代主义理念与方法进行创作,之后进入全球化情境中的当代艺术,用个人化语言表达全球化语境中的艺术关切。薛滔的创作,从2000年至今,也呈现出这样一种从现代主义艺术向当代艺术的转向,从做一个《太阳》(2002)到做《一捆》(2008),即从再现/表现能力向个人语言能力的转向,从“像一个物体”到“是一个物体”的转向,从“像一件艺术品”到“是一件艺术品”的转向。由此,薛滔的艺术语言走得越加开放和个人化,以致近期多件作品不再是传统意义上的雕塑或者装置,而是一次次观念行动的结果,如每天撕碎报纸的《如来神掌》(2013)和舂出来的《国情咨文》(2012)。通过对语言的形式实验,薛滔扩展了自己的方法论,材料的可能性,观念和形式的力度,其成果令人赞叹。

薛滔的艺术不止在形式实验上下功夫,在精神性(spirituality)、观念性、社会性和展示方式等层面也值得我们作进一步考察。这里之所以对形式实验稍加阐述,是因为中国当代艺术自上世纪九十年代以来,对现实问题的关注大过对形式问题的关注。并非对现实的介入比形式实验更次要(有时甚至更急迫),但我认为艺术的核心任务仍旧是对形式的更新,形式更新能让艺术对现实的介入变得更加敏感而锋锐。正因为此,薛滔的形式实验十分难能可贵。

薛滔作为2000年后云南重要的策展人和艺术家,从他那里我们可以窥探到中国当代艺术发展的独特境遇,本土当代艺术的活力以及作为艺术家的智慧与信念。

我把薛滔放在“云南当代艺术”的叙事逻辑里来介绍,不是因为他只是一位在云南活跃的艺术家和策展人,更不是因为他的作品有何种典型的云南特色,他的形式实验早已突破这些藩篱,他的作品早已在国内外重要双年展和艺博会上被介绍。正因为他多年在北京生活工作以及在国际上的展览经历,才促使我思考,他和那些有类似经历的艺术家会如何把外界的生存经验、文化碰撞和艺术探索带回到云南本土?他们的本土经验又如何被带入到全球化的当代艺术实践中?我看到,像薛滔这样的艺术家和他的同仁们,通过艺术实验、策划与写作,正在推动一轮地域性当代艺术的自主叙事,这将是中国当代艺术接下来十年甚至更长时间被关注的理由。

2014年6月29日

 

Xue Tao Interview: Contemporary Art in Yunnan

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artist Xue Tao, photo by Luo Fei

Xue Tao Interview: Contemporary Art in Yunnan

December 27, 2012, Loft Arts Community, Kunming
Luo Fei (abbreviated below as “Luo”): TCG Nordica Gallery Curator
Xue Tao (abbreviated below as “Xue): Artist
He Libin (abbreviated below as “He”): Curator and Director, Dean of Oil Painting Department, School of Art, Yunnan Art Institute

I.Setting Out from Yunnan

Luo Fei: You were one of the first off-canvas artists in Yunnan. You founded the Red Heart Commune in Dali, Yunnan Province, in 1994, and the Migratory Sky Art Space in Beijing in 2005. You have always been promoting interaction between Yunnan artists in the outside world, and have witnessed the beginnings and development of Yunnan artists born in the 70s. Please tell us a bit about what the situation was like when you founded the Red Heart Commune.

Xue Tao: I first entered the studio to learn painting in 1989, in my first year of middle school, and I graduated high school and took the university entrance exams in 1994. Most of my classmates at the studio got married and had kids after graduation, and basically stopped doing art. It wasn’t like today, when you test into the art academy after a few months. Back then, it was normal to keep testing for four to five years. I felt that after working so hard to test into an art program, it would be a shame to give it up. I should persevere in doing what I liked. So I formed a commune together with Lan Qinglun, Duan Yusong and Shi Zhimin. We didn’t know about the 85 New Wave at the time, and had only seen Scar Art in the magazines. We were all young artists in Dali, and we formed this group to help each other to continue with our passion. We had regular events such as exhibitions and exchanges, but we didn’t have a clear creative direction. In 1997 we started getting more members such as Su Yabi and Liu Kun. At the time, the only exhibitions in Kunming were for the Artists Association. We held our first exhibition in 1997. Our second exhibition, in 2000, was held at the Yunnan Art Academy Museum. Chen Changwei and a few others also joined. Later, we went on to hold an exhibition every two years, in a biennial format, which was influenced by the fad for biennial exhibitions at the time.

Luo: You founded the Migratory Sky Art Space in 2005. Is it still there?

Xue: Beginning in 2002, there were a lot more exhibitions in China, especially after the Loft was founded. In 2003, I did the Shadow New Media Exhibition with Xiang Weixing and a few others. You came to help for that one. Then, we held the Cry Sheep Exhibition at the Red Banana Gallery and Nordica. In 2003, we went to Shanghai for the Spring Art Salon, holding the Altitude Sickness Exhibition. Things were taking off in China, and everyone was actively taking part. That’s because after the 85 New Wave and “Post 89,” things had gone silent in the Chinese art scene. From the 90s to 2000, everything was quiet, and then suddenly a new energy burst forth in 2000. Chen Changwei, He Libin, He Jia and I stayed in Shanghai for a long time, interacting with artists from all over. Once our enthusiasm was let out, it couldn’t be pulled back in. Everyone had this impulse, this feeling that something big was about to happen in the Chinese art scene, though we didn’t know what it was.

In 2004, He Jia and I went to Beijing, to the Binhe Neighborhood in Tongxian, which was one of the places artists had gathered after the Yuanmingyuan Artist Village was scattered. At the time, some of the Yuanmingyuan painters had been sent back to their hometowns, some of the ones with money had bought houses in Songzhuang, and others had moved into the Binhe Neighborhood. He Yunchang was there, as were most of the key members of the Kitsch Art scene. But I started wondering what I was doing there. If I wanted the settled neighborhood life, I was already doing fine in Kunming, with a salary and insurance. That’s not what I quit my job in Kunming for. Later, I went to Suojia Village and set up a space, one set up with money from Yunnan artists. It was called Migratory Sky. I wanted to make a platform for Yunnan in Beijing.

Half a year after I set it up, they started demolishing Suojia Village. City officials said they were cleaning up the city’s image, knocking down buildings that weren’t up to code. Suojia Village fit the bill. I had just quit my job and borrowed money to set up this art space, and now, right at the beginning, I was facing a tragedy. When the demolition team came, everyone was asleep, and they made a big commotion as they came. We were surrounded by court officials, police and bulldozers.

云南艺术家在上海

Artists Xue Tao, Shi Zhimin, Chen Changwei, He Jia, He Libin in Shanghai, 2003

Luo: They didn’t notify you beforehand?

Xue: There was a notice, telling us to knock down the buildings ourselves by a certain date. Of course, no one did, because we had just built them. Then, they suddenly showed up and demolished them. The first one they knocked down was Shang Yang’s studio. His wife fainted, and was taken away in an ambulance. He’s a very famous and respected artist in China. All kinds of people lived in that art zone, including Tan Ping, who was the Vice Dean of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. But it didn’t matter. The political atmosphere in Beijing was too thick. When we saw that they would even knock down Shang Yang’s place, we all knew the game was up. Migratory Sky split up after the demotion.

Luo: Were you compensated?

Xue: No. We were lucky we weren’t fined. We had built it right across from the Village Council, on land rented from the village. The land used to be a graveyard, and they couldn’t do anything with it. It was just a bunch of weeds when we got there. The village was of course happy when we came to use it. We brought them income. Migratory Sky held two exhibitions, the first being an open studio exhibition, and the second being the Entertainment First Exhibition. There were about a hundred people at Suojia Village then, with artists from about a dozen countries. There were very few artist studios in the 798 Art Zone at the time, and people were even saying that 798 was slated for demolition.

Luo: You recently wrote a preface for an exhibition on post-70s Yunnan artists, using the term “non-stream” to describe them. You wrote, “Non-stream is a state that is neither mainstream nor non-mainstream, a state outside of the streams. This is an outstanding feature of Yunnan artists.” Is this an awkward predicament, or is it about finding one’s own way?

Xue: It’s a bit of both. It depends on what Yunnan artists want for themselves. If they hope to enter into the mainstream, then it’s an awkward predicament. If they don’t hope to enter into the mainstream, then it means they are finding their own path. But only the artist knows. Everyone else just sees them staying outside of the stream. Regional and cultural factors in Yunnan have kept many people outside of specific trends or streams. In Beijing, it is very clear. You are either mainstream or non-mainstream. If you want to fight the mainstream, you have to either step aside or form your own stream. Yunnan artists are none of the above. They don’t enter into the stream or resist it, and they don’t have any other stance either.

王军行为

Wang Jun Performance “Kunming, I’m gone”, 2006

Luo: Their goals are unclear.

Xue: Right. They’re unclear. If they were clear, then in most cases, they would leave Kunming, at least for a while. That has been the case with the past few generations of influential artists since the 85 New Wave.

Luo: You went to Beijing in 2004 to seek out better development, and watched as the Chinese art market exploded in 2006, and as it fell after the 2008 financial crisis. You have experienced Chinese art as it had no market, then had a flourishing market, and then bottomed out. As an artist, how do you understand the connection between artistic creation and the economic environment?

Xue: This is a headache for me. Yunnan is too quiet. There are no surprises here. I went to Beijing to find surprises. Though there weren’t many galleries in Beijing at the time, I had a premonition that something was about to happen, so I quit my job and went. At the time, Chinese artists were all chasing after the “big face paintings,” painting in the style of Yue Minjun and Fang Lijun, with kitschy colors. It was the same with sculpture, with everyone working in fiberglass and automobile paint. Art made in this way saw certain market returns, and I was sometimes swept up in it too, but I pulled out. I was very conflicted. You need to have a market to survive, but the market is too tempting.

In 2007, the artists were all crazy. Artists in Beijing from 2006 to 2008 were the luckiest artists in the world, because every year, there were two months of exhibition opening banquets every single day, which was heaven for artists who had been surviving on steamed buns up to that point. As long as you were an artist, you would get a lot of invitations. That is because the market was good, and the galleries were all looking for resources, so they were very nice to all the artists. It didn’t matter what kind of art you were making. As long as you were an artist, you were treated with a certain amount of respect. In those days, I basically slept till the afternoon, when I would head out for an exhibition banquet, with the galleries covering late night barbecue, karaoke, bars, the works. The artists had it great. In April and May, then again in September and October, there was food to be had every day of the week, and on weekends for the rest of the year. Sometimes I had no idea whose exhibition it was or who was footing the bill.

Luo: Stuff like this can’t happen in Yunnan. Even though manna isn’t falling from the sky, the sky isn’t going to fall down and crush anyone either. The great ups and downs of the art market didn’t affect most artists here.

Xue: These daily banquets wouldn’t happen anywhere else. There were a lot of foreign artists in Beijing at the time who were jealous of the Chinese artists, who by the age of 30 were renting studios by the acre rather than by the square meter. Their studios were big enough to park a small airplane. Think about it. In another nation’s capital, if an artist had a studio that was several hundred square meters, even a few acres, it would mean he was an important artist. In Beijing it was easy. It didn’t cost much at all. A lot of artists saw their entire destiny change in a single night in 2006 or 2007. When the financial crisis hit in 2008, everyone started shrinking their studios, and it all entered into a slump.

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Xue Tao’s installation “Compatriot” 2011

II. Open Language

Luo: Let’s talk about your artworks. You twist newspaper into ropes or compress it into shapes like blocks and balls. Some of your artworks are quite large. Do you make them yourself, or with assistants?

Xue: I was making them on my own at first, but as the market got better, I started hiring assistants. There’s a couple that helps me a lot. The man is a renovation worker, and welds the frames for me. The woman is in charge of twisting the newspapers.

Luo: Where do you get the newspapers?

Xue: I get them from a newspaper distributor. They recycle the ones that don’t circulate, and I get my newspapers from them. Sometimes I get them from newsstands.

Luo: Do you categorize them once you get them?

Xue: I don’t. I just make selections. It has to be stiff copperplate paper. If it rips when you fold it, I can’t use it. It has to be thin copperplate or coated paper. It has to be easy to crumple, but it can’t tear too easily.

Luo: Looking at your works over the past few years, the first thing one notices about your work is that it’s non-functional. Second, it doesn’t have a direct, easily-understood meaning. Third, your work is anti-formal. These traits are reminiscent of Arte Povera. Where do you get your inspiration?

Xue: An Italian artist once showed me an artwork made from twisted-up newspapers. I thought it was mine, because I had made some with English newspapers, but it was actually the work of an Arte Povera artist in his fifties. When you twist a newspaper up into a rope, it all comes out in that shape. I think, however, that mine is a bit different. My art has gone through roughly three phases. At first, it was the basic feel for the material, and then I treated it as a modeling technique. In the third phase, I treat it as a language. The reason I use newspaper is that it’s cheap, easy to obtain and convenient.

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Xue Tao, “A Bunch of…” 2006

Luo: Your early works mainly imitated forms, such as the sun, flowers, pillars and the like. When we get to your rope works, we see that you have already cast off the modernist framework of form to pursue anti-form, alienation and individualized language. You emphasize a clear form, but do not consciously reveal your conceptual references.

Xue: Right. By 2011, I had entered into a state I was rather satisfied with. Before, I was doing modern art or postmodern art, but now I have truly come to understand contemporary art. At first, you submit to modeling and material, and now modeling and material submit to you. In terms of technique, I also feel increasingly free.

Luo: What is your view on the connection between your artworks and Arte Povera?

Xue: My own creative trajectory has been akin to learning the breadth of art history, but when I really set out to create, I don’t think about any particular schools of art or art history. If you do think about such things, the creative process will not be a joyful one. If, after completing something, you discover that something similar already exists, I think that is normal. It demonstrates that between civilizations and art, there is more potential for human communication. As for the Arte Povera artists, I don’t concern myself much with what they are doing or thinking. I’ve been to Turin and Milan, where Arte Povera began, and I have seen their works, only to discover that we are not quite the same.

Luo: In the narrow sense, Arte Povera is postmodern Italian art from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s. It was an art movement that arose in response to the drastic social changes and political schisms taking place in Italy at the time. Arte Povera artists presented found objects in dramatic ways to criticize consumerism, seek new ways of intervening in the world, and challenge the traditional order and aesthetics. This movement had a profound impact on contemporary art concepts and methods around the world. Let’s return to the previous question. Do you think that Yunnan possesses certain resources or value that it can provide to contemporary artists in today’s globalized context?

Xue: To ask whether or not Yunnan artists can provide more meaningful references is like asking what Chinese artists can provide for the world. I would be hard pressed, using my own abilities, to answer this question, because I think it is unclear whether or not Yunnan can provide contemporary art with a new model, new methods, new concepts or a new condition. This must be answered by history and time. As an individual, I am infinitesimal. I cannot transcend time and space to see the results.

Luo: How do you maintain a flow between your increasingly rich international experience and your inherent Dali experience? For instance, how do you bring your experience of globalization to Dali, and how do you bring your local experience into the contemporary context?

Xue: This is an important question, one many artists must ponder. I think that contemporary art is an extremely open language mode, one which gives artists great freedom. Just to have this language, however, is not the end. What matters is what you say with it. In global contemporary art, I have learned this language mode and method of interaction, allowing me to interact with people from different countries and different language backgrounds. As a Yunnanese born in Dali, or as an Easterner, my interest and understanding of handcrafting and Zen Buddhism is infused into my art. Some people may use contemporary art to express sociological or scientific matters, but I think that my own expression is more religious.

Luo: This calls to mind Mono-ha, because Mono-ha also used everyday objects, while they drew spiritual resources from Zen and Shinto to explore the relationships between something and nothingness, between man and thing, thing and space, man and space, referencing materiality. Arte Povera was more directed towards social criticism.

Xue: My art is none of the above. It may appear similar, but when placed together, they are quite different. Neither Mono-ha nor Arte Povera are as produced as my art. The difference is in this production aspect. The production aspect of Mono-ha is concealed, secondary, with the emphasis placed on materiality itself. My artworks highlight the production process.

Luo: You make the energy of vast amounts of highly repetitive labor come to rest on ordinary materials.

Xue: Right. I am most satisfied and interested in the production process. What people see is not an object, but a production process. There is a massive amount of manual labor within. As I understand Buddhism, Mono-ha and Arte Povera, Mono-ha is about “emptiness” while Arte Povera is about “substance,” while Buddhism is neither emptiness nor substance. What is expressed in the end is the “non-duality of emptiness and substance.” I see Mono-ha as a philosophized understanding of religion. Its understanding of Zen and the Dao is philosophical. Buddhism is neither philosophy nor wisdom. Zen is different. In India, Zen is called “dhyana.” Zen cannot be explained. If it can be explained, then it is something different. It is just like all of these ropes I have made. I can’t explain clearly what they are, but in the end, I am satisfied. It feels right.

xuetao4

Xue Tao, “State of the Union Message” 2012

III. The State of Art in Yunnan

He Libin: In recent years, the Chinese contemporary art market has been aggressively encroaching on young Yunnan artists. The situation is not as good as it was in 2000, much less the 1980s.

Xue: When the Red Heart Commune first began, a lot of the artists were making installation art. At the time, Shi Zhimin used glass, X-ray plates and acrylic to make his graduate thesis work. He was placed under investigation, and in the end barely got his degree.
hen Changwei and Duan Yisong all worked in installation art. In those days, a lot of people were making experimental artworks. For instance Ning Zhi, who was from the same graduating class as us in 1998, was also making installation art. The young people were basically all working in off-canvas art and conceptual photography, but later on, they all basically stopped.

Luo: After the market picked up, most people shifted to canvas painting. The last time a lot of Yunnan artists were making experimental art together was with Jianghu in 2005 and 2006.

He: When the market began to dominate art in 2006, artists came to see their positions and goals more clearly. Of course, the end of Jianghu in 2006 had nothing to do with the market.

Luo: As post-70s artists, do you think there are any clear shared characteristics among post-70s Yunnan artists?

Xue: A lot of the post-70s artists are multi-talented. For instance, Wu Yiqiang, Shi Jing, He Jia and Zhang Tian all work in painting, performance art and installations.

He: If we’re looking at it based on time, I think that the post-70s generation is in a rather anxious mental state, and this finds expression in their artworks. Post-80s artists find ways to dispel this sense of anxiety. Older artists have a clearer connection to the ideology of the state. They are imprinted by the state.

Luo: I feel that Xue Tao’s creative experience is quite representative of the post-70s artists. This generation got started in the traditional art academies, learning colors and modelling. They then went through the modernist enlightenment, self-awakening and the artist group movement. Then they entered into contemporary art within the patterns of globalization, using individualized language and spirit to express artistic concern within the context of globalization. Among earlier Yunnan artists, very few truly entered into contemporary artistic language, with most artists born in the 50s and 60s absorbing modernism or pacing about between modern and postmodern in a quest for Chinese schemas and the expression of the Chinese experience. Their contributions are mainly connected to the post-Cold War unification of the international economy, the collectivist narrative of modern Chinese society and resistance to the same. Their advancement of contemporary artistic concepts was highly limited, and that is why, after they were successful, the only thing they brought, aside from insight into success, was modernist sentiments left over from the 85 New Wave. They didn’t engage in much exploration of artistic concepts. Some artists are creating contemporary art at the same time they are painting Impressionist or Romanticist landscapes. I can understand that as they satisfy increasing domestic demand, they don’t have to focus so much on export as with contemporary art, but this phenomenon shows that they are lost and conflicted about their individual artistic mission. That is not to say, of course, that one cannot create artworks for the masses; that is another issue altogether.

Xue: The “85” artists basically work within a modernist context. Some artists of the post-60s generation entered into the contemporary, such as He Yunchang. As for the post-80s generation, the question is whether or not they’re interested in art in the first place.

Luo: A lot of post-80s artists have been influenced by the individual icon methodology and success schemes. Artistic concepts have been flattened and fragmented, many of them secondhand in the first place. They need to raise their individual character.

He: You raised the question of whether or not Yunnan could provide contemporary art with new possibilities. At this point, I’m not optimistic. Yunnan has its own culture that is markedly different from that of the Central Plain. In fact, southwestern Chinese art as a whole is different from that of other regions. For instance, it places more emphasis on expressiveness, temporality and spiritual experience. The artworks are more closely connected to nature. Setting out from a regional perspective, it is possible that Yunnan can produce something of value, but the future isn’t so clear.

Xue: Among the art spaces in Yunnan that do true contemporary art, TCG Nordica is one, then there’s Liu Lifen’s Contemporary Yunnan, as well as the Lijiang Studio. These three art spaces all have strong international backgrounds. There are also a few individuals who engage in contemporary art creation and curation, but that’s it. Statistically speaking, it is very small, and the role such small numbers can play is very limited. If we took those away, Yunnan would basically be a desert, with nothing but the modernist influence left behind from the 85 period. Kunming still ranks up there with some of the big contemporary art cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Chongqing, mainly because most cities lack contemporary art spaces that are truly rooted in their localities. Why are there so few? It is because there is no demand. If there was more demand, then there would be more. This shows that China is not prepared to enter into the contemporary art context. It hasn’t prepared at all; it is simply making the preliminary preparations.

宁智装置

Ning Zhi, “The Manifesto”, 2000

Luo: The Chinese language academic scene has dubbed the last century of change as the modern transition, the transformation from a traditional society to a modern civilizational order supported by core modern values (freedom, reason and individual rights) and run according to market economics, democratic government and the ethnic nation-state. Critic Zha Changping describes contemporary China as a mixed modern society, where the premodern, modern, postmodern and alternative modern are mixed together, often interlocking and overlapping. This shows that China is not prepared to enter into the globalized world. It tends to view the world with a nationalist, clan-based worldview rather than universal values. One of the missions of Chinese contemporary art is to take part in promoting China’s modern transition.

Everyone knows that Yunnan is richly endowed geographically, ecologically and culturally. The key is for artists to change their vision and language. Today’s scene has developed into an ecosystem comprised of nature, society and culture, and when we look at this scene, we must keep in mind the pressing rural issues of land and left-behind children, the disparity of wealth and environmental issues. Beyond direct concern for social justice, even in artistic form, we must engage in a transformation of traditional aesthetic taste, of observational methods and concepts. Otherwise, we will always be in a state of cultural dislocation and chaos.

Translated by Jeff Crosby

本文中文原文:http://blog.luofei.org/2013/01/interview-xue-tao-contemporary-art-in-yunnan/